The Art of Robert Genn

Robert Genn was a highly acclaimed Canadian artist known for his style, which is deeply rooted in the tradition of Canadian landscape painting. Born in Victoria, British Columbia, in 1936, Genn studied at Victoria College, the University of British Columbia, and the Art Centre School in Los Angeles. He spent his career traveling and painting landscapes throughout British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, New Mexico, and Western Europe.

Genn identified with and has been compared to the 1920s Canadian Group of Seven. His mentor and neighbor in Point Grey, Vancouver, Lawren Harris, gave him valuable advice on painting skies, which enabled him “to control the gradation and work up into the trees in a more abstract manner.”

In addition to his successful painting career, Genn also created the Painter’s Keys website, a worldwide artists’ community, with his staff and volunteers. The website sends out a free twice-weekly newsletter, which is sent to 135,000 artists in over 100 countries. He also wrote three books, including The Painter’s Keys, which is a handbook for painters based on one of his creativity seminars.

Genn was a member of the board of directors at Emily Carr College of Art & Design. His work has been represented by Mayberry Fine Art for several decades as well as numerous other private galleries in Canada. His paintings are in corporate and public collections, including Air Canada, Bank of Montreal, Canadian General Insurance, Canadian Airlines, and the Government of Belgium.

Genn passed away at his Surrey, British Columbia home on the 27th of May, 2014. His legacy continues to inspire artists around the world.